MORNING BUZZ:Class of 92

MORNING BUZZ:Class of 92

Good Morning.

It’s been a Fall full of reflection for me this year. I don’t feel like I’m entering middle age but the calendar says I am. This year marks 20 years since I graduated High School so Sally and I are off to our reunion. We went to the same High School. We are looking at the weekend very differently and as usual her perspective is probably more healthy.

Sally has decided she doesn’t recognize most of the names on the list of reunion participants. I doubt that will be true once we enter the room. Our High School class was 670+ people. Sally graduated in the top 10 percent of our class. I was the bottom third. Our paths didn’t EVER cross in the classroom so as you can imagine we had very different High School experiences. So anyway, she’s taken the healthy perspective that we haven’t seen any of these people in 20 years…it will be good to catch up…but she’s not going to sweat it much.

I on the other hand am a combination of curious and admittedly a little nervous. Since most of my wardrobe tends toward Bob Hope not Banana Republic, I decided to go out and get something new to wear. I am told I am supposed to “Zhoozh” the sleeves of the sweater I purchased. It was worth the price of the new sweater just to learn what “Zhoozhing” is.

I don’t really care what people think but like any good Iowan, I’ve developed a chip on my shoulder when I leave the state. I am already prepared for “you live WHERE?”. After 14 years I have my defense of Des Moines ready to go along with an invitation to visit.

I’m doing exactly what I said I wanted to do when we all graduated back in 1992 and while there is a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that comes with realizing that vision of my future…I haven’t exactly been climbing Everest or curing Cancer. That’s OK but, for me, times like this are always a chance to think about the path not taken. It’s not that I regret where I am. I just think an event like this can be a reminder there are still thousands more opportunities to come in my life. They may take me down a different path or help me recapture an interest that I set aside for other priorities. We’ve all made thousands of choices that have dictated our path since we left the suburbs of Chicago 20 years ago. I’m curious to see where those decisions led my classmates… Who will I still recognize? Who will defy everyone’s expectations? .